Today, Poets and Poems highlights Christopher Reid’s “A Scattering, ” a remarkable series of poems that helped him deal with the death of his wife.
Poets and Poems: Andrew Motion’s “The Customs House”
Poets and Poems looks at “The Custom House” by Andrew Motion, which examines many facets of war and suggests a common impact on the people involved, regardless of location or era.
Poets and Poems: R.S. Thomas’s “Poems to Elsi”
Poets and Poems looks at “Poems to Elsi” by R.S. Thomas, which provides insight into the Thomas marriage of more than 50 years.
Poets and Poems: Jean Sprackland’s “Sleeping Keys”
Jean Sprackland’s “Sleeping Keys” quietly underscores the importance of what lies unrecognized and forgotten—a thoughtful selection for Poets and Poems.
Poets and Poems: Sam Willetts and “New Light for the Old Dark”
Poets and Poems highlights “New Light for the Old Dark” by Sam Willetts, which combines individual and family history for an effect both personal and universal.
Poets and Poems: 99 Psalms by SAID
Poets and Poems features the German poet SAID’s new collection of poetry, 99 Psalms, which is less about worship and more about our human condition.
Poets and Poems: Patricia Smith
This week’s “Poets and Poems” highlights Patricia Smith’s work, including her poem “They Romp with Wooly Canines” and her performance of “Skinhead.”
Poets and Poems: Seamus Heaney
Appreciating poets and poems even more by reading Seamus Heaney’s “Opened Ground” alongside Frank O’Driscoll’s “Stepping Stones, ” whose interviews add depth to the poems.
Is Poetry Going to the Dogs?
What he did for cats, Francesco Marciuliano has now done for dogs: “I Could Chew on This, and Other Poems by Dogs.”
Poet in New York: Federico García Lorca
A new edition of Federico García Lorca’s “Poet in New York” adds depth and understanding to what we know about the poet.
Poetry at Work: The Work of a Poet Laureate
Ava Leavell Haymon was recently named Louisiana’s poet laureate. Walter Bargen, a former poet laureate for Missouri, has some insights into what that means.
Poet Focus: Mark Jarman
Mark Jarman’s poetry is such that one gets interested in his background, personality, where he comes from, and how all this finds its way into his poems.
Poet Focus: Marianne Moore
For all of her modernist associations, Marianne Moore’s poetry didn’t exactly fit the category. There’s a richness, almost a lushness, in many of her poems that’s absent from the moderns. She ranged over history and literature — Rome and Greece, Britain and Ireland, and America — as well as music and the natural world.
Take Your Poet to Work: Pablo Neruda
Take your favorite poet with you to work for Take Your Poet to Work Day coming up July 17. This week we’re featuring poet Pablo Neruda.
Poetry Review: The Submerged Depths of Lapse Americana
A review of Lapse Americana: Poems by Benjamin Myers, a poetry volume focused on memory, childhood and understanding.
Take Your Poet to Work Day
Take Your Poet to Work Day. Why should kids have all the fun? Your poet wants to go to work with you too.
Journey into Poetry: Todd Davis
Poet Todd Davis shares his journey into poetry, inspired by his father.
Journey into Poetry: Paula J. Lambert
Paula J. Lambert describes her Journey into Poetry, from aspiring fiction writer to published poet, by way of pigs and prose.
Poetry at Work: Dana Gioia on Poetry in Business
The conventional American wisdom is that poets “must be people out of the ordinary; they must be strong, even eccentric individuals.” In other words, Walt Whitman fits our preconceived notions; Wallace Stevens, corporate lawyer, does not.
Give and Take: The Paradoxical Function of Art
It has been my peculiar experience as a poet to explain to people what they are seeing, albeit through what can feel like an added layer of obscurity. L.L. Barkat on the explanation of art, more or less.